Reviews by kattmunkel:

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Not only am I about to consume an Oatmeal Stout for your reading (and my tasting) pleasure but this is none other than Samuel Smith's much celebrated and widely known in all the counties of England and further ashore including Ireland, the Isle of Man and Jersey Islands invigorating, energising and revitalising Oatmeal Stout†. Or something along those lines - the label did look like it had been designed in the 1850’s. And you know what? Frugality like that (i.e. not paying for rebranding in over a hundred years) is rare these days and Samuel Smith has it in spades, cheers Mr. Smith!

Poured from a 550ml bottle into a nonic pint.

A: Well I accidentally hard poured a khaki head of 2 inches... looks good though with its deep dark cola body. Can’t wait to dive in... yep *taps fingers*. 8/10.

S: Espresso coffee notes mingle with hints of dark fruit and a melange of roasted barley and rolled oats... possibly the most porridge-like beer my nose has inhaled. I like it when my Oatmeal Stouts have oat aromas, like a big glass of breakfast! 8/10.

T: Damn tasty. More on the dark fruit side than coffee/chocolate with those oats really coming in to play with flavour and body. They (the oats) take on dry/tannic qualities towards the finish and there is an amalgamation of bitter/dry/sour/sweet characters that really make this fine Stout shine. Did I mention this is ‘damn tasty’? Oh... right... well this is Stouts finest hour. 9/10.

D: Again I’m a big fan of the Samuel Smith’s ales, they’ve all so far been like getting inside a time machine and going back to the 19th century where men were men and women were men too (everyone was a bit hardier back then overall). If you want a real damn tasty and luxurious Stout then look no further. 10/10.

Food match: Back in 1852 when you had to work 16 hrs a day you would generally eat gruel and drink 18 pints of Stout, people wore hats that contained small anvils to help strengthen their neck muscles. Today however beef stew is a better option.

†Thesaurus Nazis will have noted that the three words ‘invigorating’, ‘energising’ and ‘revitalising’ all mean the same thing, congratulations‡. *slow clap*

‡Syntax Nazis will have noted that I used the ‘dagger’ character BEFORE and instead of the ‘asterisk’ character for my footnote, congratulations. *slow clap* (2,435 characters)

Smell: strong malt, earthy biscuit , burnt sugarTaste/Mouthfeel: Very smooth, almost milk like with some carbonation to lighten and prevent it from becoming syrupy. Strong roasted malt up front, followed by nutty, coffee notes and caramel sweetness. Earthy without being pungent, very mild hops at the end followed by a clean palate. Overall: A thoroughly enjoyable stout, much more complex than Guinness in its array of flavors, a very enjoyable beer. I would definitely put this as a tasty, go to oatmeal stout. Never having been a stout fan before, this beer was so good, its piqued my interest in the genre - (709 characters)

Look: Poured black with a nice and creamy tan head, leaving behind good lacing in the glass.

Smell: At first I picked out roasted malt, a bit of coffee and cocoa with oatmeal. On second sniff I picked out dark cherries and other dark fruits with a very faint hint of the alcohol.

Taste: Coffee, Bittersweet chocolate and roasted malts on the taste. Slight hint of the dark fruit to back it up. I also can pick out the oatmeal in the taste.

Feel: Nice and creamy but a little bit watery for my liking. I wish it had a bit of a thicker mouth feel for an oatmeal stout but I have to remember it is only 5% ABV and not a RIS. The wateriness does not take away from the experience of the beer.

Overall: I like this oatmeal stout very much. It is a sessionable brew with nice flavors to match the nose. My only gripe is the thinner mouth feel. I recommend this to anyone who likes stouts/oatmeal stouts. (902 characters)

I think the best of the oatmeal stouts out there,pours a deep brown with a nice tan colored head that sticks very well.The aroma is very much like brown sugar and and roasted malt.The taste also has a brown sugar taste but a little more subdued with a nice roasted coffee taste ending nice and soft.Drinking this beer is a beer lovers experience. (346 characters)

Appearance  This Oaty Stout is black as night with a good, decent head that left clumps of pits on top of the liquid.

Smell  The pure, unadulterated, dark roasty malts were terrific. They were complimented by some good, raw sugar and maybe even a hop or two for balance.

Taste  The big, roasted malt flavor came out nicely. It is very dark in here. The nice raw sugar from the nose came out at the taste as well along with a subtle hop balance. The oatmeal flavor was light and in the background.

Mouthfeel  This one was medium-bodied and bitteringly roasty with some good dryness on the back of the tongue.

Drinkability  This is a good, heavy stout thats light on the oatmeal but well-balanced nevertheless. (732 characters)

This beer pours so well into my glass that I start to drool. The color is simply atramentous, pure ink. The head is thick, frothy, and the color of sunned saddle leather.

I sit back and take a whiff. Nothing. Its too cold. I wait a while and try again. There it is, sweet and tangy coffee. Lots of Southern attitude like Maxwell House and sarsaparilla tea on a white veranda.

I taste it and its like oats and cream poured over bluenose silk. The body is full and it slides over my tongue crisply. Dark roasted coffee notes dominate while subtle English herbs swish around my mouth, rosemary, lavender, and peppercorns. The finish is Portuguese bootleg, strong wine served with sharp cheese and cherries. I dig it and my belly does too.

Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout pours a super-deep midnight shade of black with a deep, tan head that retains excellently, lasts until the end of the glass, and leaves slight traces of lacing all the way down. It smells very nice; roasted malts, deep caramel and toffee, hints of espresso, loaded big-time with oats and grains. The taste is absolutely amazing - sweet, toasted malts, earthy goodness, caramel, oats and oatmeal, hints of espresso/coffee beans, faint reminders of cocoa beans, and a touch of bitterness to bring it all together. Lots of carbonation, giving the beer its god-like head, along with a smooth, thick, creamy body, make this beer quite a pleasure to drink.

One of the most recognizable oatmeal stouts out there, and for a good reason. Nicely done, easy to get, and reasonably prices. Often considered the "benchmark" for oatmeal stouts, and I think I can see why. (887 characters)

Nothing special although I did enjoy it. Not too thick and rich tasting. For the price, I need more kick (ABV). There are better values with better taste out there like the sam adams imperial oatmeal stout. Not sorry I bought it but I won't do it again. (253 characters)

look (4.5/5) - poured a jet black color. Huge head rose up to two or three fingers and was moussy/creamy in texture and khaki color. Stand was truly amazing! Clarity was good, but only seen when held to direct light.

smell (4/5) - really great smell, although it was a bit more mild than I would have expected. Flavors were of roasted grains with a bit of burnt malt in there. Sweetness was medium, which gave a coffee-and-cream or mocha aroma. I bit of a hint of melanoidin fruitiness, but nothing too strong.

taste (4/5) - similar to the smell, fairly sweet with a hint of fruitiness. The oat flavor (a nit nutty with a slight bitter richness) plays well with the roasty and burnt malt notes. The finish is molasses with a bit of dark fruit. Balanced well and mild.

feel (3.5/5) - medium-full body; a little light for the style. Lighter carbonation and the oats give a very silky, creamy feel. Decent for the style, but a tad light.

Overall, really good. The flavors were deep and complex and played well with each other into an awesome fugue. So tasty, I'd say it was hugely drinkable as a sipping brew. Great for a cold november night, contemplating exams. (1,182 characters)

No matter how many times I have this beer, I always forget the bottle is clear until I pour it. The beer is so totally opaque that it just looks like a black bottle. Its a straight up 8-ball blackbeer with about three fingers of rich, creamy, tan head that thins quickly but never goes away. No lacing this time around.

The nose is alcohol, fresh grain, dark chocolate, and a touch of that famous green apple. Taste starts with a mild dark chocolate/hop bitterness infused with a bit or green apple tartness. Goes metallic for just split second before that dark malt profile comes parading down the tounge. Actually got just a touch of oat in the finish.

Mouthfeel is rich and velvety. I have a few bottles of this old stand-by a year and it usually makes me wonder why I bother with anything else. Many thanks to Jwff for the Sam Smith gift pack. (853 characters)